Mode of cleaning rice



W. AGER. Rice Cleaner Patented Dec. 21, 1-858.

====IIIII=== UNITED STAT I* ]S PATENT OFFICE.

IV. AGER, OF ROHRSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MODE 0F CLEANING RICE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,337, dated December 21, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILSON Assn, of Rohrsburg, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rice-Cleaning Machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in the several figures of which similar characters of reference denote the same part.

Figure l is a side view of the mortar used for cleaning rice with my improvement attached. Fig. 2 is a vertical section showing air tubes.

Before describing my improvement I will refer briefly to the structure of the rice berry, and to the operations it undergoes in being prepared for market. The grain is incased in a husk, which when removed leaves the berry covered by a pellicle closely adhering to its surface. The husk is easily removed in many ways, but it is in the removal of this inner pellicle that the larger portion of the cleaning operation consists. The ordinary mode of efiecting its removal, after the separation of the husk, is by submitting the grain to the action of a stamper in a mortar, the continued friction created by the movement of the grain under the ac tion of the stamper separating the coating. After the separation is finished the grain is polished between a sheep skin brush and a wire gauze cylinder. This is the ordinary method of cleaning rice, as employed in the largest mills in this and other countries, and although it is a slow operation, the time required for the removal of the inner pellicle will be governed by the rapidity with which the stamper moves. But from the peculiar composition of the grain there is an obstacle to the employment of rapid moving stampers. With stampers moving at the lowest rate of speed the grain becomes very much heated during the pounding, and although it does not break under the opera tion, yet after the separation of the inner coating and its removal from the mortar, the cooling of the berry produces a number of checks or cracks therein. So that when the grain is submitted to the brushing operation it breaks into several parts, and of course becomes worthless as a good article of rice. In fact with the stampers driven at as low a rate of speed as possible, there results after the cleaning operation but a very small proportion of whole, clean grains, constituting the first quality of rice. The remainder consists of broken rice separated into various grades, while a large amount is wasted as dust. This ill result of the cleaning operation obtains to a greater extent as the rapidity of movement of the stampers increases until there would be nothing but broken rice resulting if a very high degree of speed Was used.

Many cleaning machines have been invented, but although they are capable of removing the aforesaid pellicle, and would be adapted to the purpose were the composition of the berry such as to resist the cooling off after the cleaning; they have all failed, because from the great degree of heat generated the grain crumbles to pieces even before it is submitted to the brushing cylinder. These are the causes that have prevented the use of any other mechanism than the old mortar and stamper in the cleaning of rice. And even with this machine at the lowest practical speed of stamper, there results an immense waste of grain before it is prepared for market The object I have in view as a means of obviating this breaking up of the grain on cooling is so to remove the inner pellicle as that the grain shall not be heated during the operation, and that after leaving the mortar it will be as strong to resist the succeeding brushing as it was when it entered the mortar. To do this, I design to eifect the progressive cooling of the grain during the entire operation, so as to remove the caloric as fast as generated, by forcing air with a condensing pump or otherwise into and through the body of the grain. This operation will be effected in various ways according to the nature of the machine used. I show the mode of introducing the current of air to the ordinary mortar, represented by M. Under the bottom is a pipe a, communicating by pipe I) with a condensing pump and having branches 0 c 0 leading into the mortar through its sides, as shown, the ends of these branches turning upward and terminating in flattened orifices too small for the admission of the rice.

It will be well here to mention that the body of rice has at each blow of the stamper an upward movement along the sides of the mortar, whence it passes to the middle thereof. As this movement takes place there is a partial loosening of the mass which will readily permit the passage of the current of air through the rice. I also run a pipe (Z up the outside of the mortar, which is bent at top so as to direct a current to the center of the interior, as shown in Fig. 1.

There may be any desired number of dis-' charge tubes 6, which are so placed as not to interfere with the upward movement of the grain.

By the employment of this improvement in the operation, the stampers may be driven with great rapidity, so as to shorten the time of cleaning, while the contents of the mortar will be discharged perfectly cool, so that no checking or cracking takes place, the grain being after pounding, in as sound a condition as when it enters the mortar.

The results of this improvement may thus be stated.-The operation is performed in a diminished time, with a large increase of the first grade from any given quantity of I make no claim, but

What I do claim as new and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent as an improvement in the mode of cleaning rice 1s The forcing of a current of air into or through. the grain during the cleaning operation for the purpose above set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing Witnesses.

WILSON AGER. Witnesses:

Gno. PA'ITEN, J OHN S. HOLLINGSAHEAD. 

